Improvement in cotton-bale ties



. or edge of the tie PATENT OFFICE.

HUBBARD :r'. MINOR, JR, or SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COTTON-BALE TIES.'

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 129,157, dated July 16, 1872.

Be it known that I, HUBBARD T. MINOR,

Jr., of Savannah, county of Ghatham, State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Bale Ties, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the tie, showing in dotted lines the position of one end of the band after it has been inserted or applied; and Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the manner of entering the band.

Similar letters of reference denote correspondin g parts in both figures.

y invention consists in combining, in a slotted bale-tie, an arrow-head slot, (so called,) or an inclined plane at the end of the slot, and an obliquely-arranged slit or opening through which the free end of the band is entered or passed into the slot, as hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawing, A represents the metal tie or buckle which may be of the usual dimensions, either cast or wrought, and by preference made of plane surfaces throughout, though it may, especially if cast, be provided with any suitable arrangement of 'stiiiening ribs or corrugations, such as will not interfere with the bands. B is the slot made in arrow-head form at one end, I), or at both ends, if desiredthat is to say, provided with the inclines 11 b one or bothfor a purpose which will be presently explained. O is the entering slot or cleft formed obliquely to the side P shaped end, and by preference on a line inclining inward from right to left, on the faceside of the tie, for convenience in entering the free end of the band. The manner of applying the band will be readily understood. One end of the band, as ordinarily connected with the tie prior to passing it around the bale and the free end bent into loop-form, is passed through the oblique slot 0 of the tie, (which assumes the oblique or diagonal position shown in Fig. 2,) until it, the loop, is within the slot B, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 2, when, in straightening itself Within said slot and around the bale, its inner edge comes into contact with and rides down the incline 11 until, crossin g the oblique slot 0, the band rests upon ointing toward the arrowboth arms a a/ of the tie, assuming the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1. By the construction shown and described I avoid the necessity of arranging the arms a a in different planes, a feature which has been found, in practice, to be objectionable, from the fact that it throws the strain unequally upon the arms or opposite side of the slit, and thereby tends either to destroy the tie or to tear the band. The inclined slit or opening permits .the ready and easy insertion of the free loopend of the'band and the incline b or arrowhead of the slot forces the band to rest on the tie on both sides of the slit or opening in such manner that the strain or tension of the band is borne about equally by the arms a a, and in such manner also that neither arm can give way without carrying the other with it 3 thus, if the strain should from any cause be thrown upon arma, so as to make it yield, its first eflect would be to close the slit 0, causing the arm a to rest upon and be supported by arm' a, and as the incline b, by its relation to the slit, forces the band to rest upon the arm a, arm (1 cannot give way without arm a being carried with it. The end d of the slot B may be made either arrow-head form, as indicated by full lines, or rectangular, as indicated by dotted lines; but I prefer to use the inclines at both ends, as facilitating the insertion of the band.

I am aware that the arrow-head slot has been employed in cotton-bale ties in which a slit or opening was arranged at the side of the tie at right angles to the slot, but in such cases it has been found necessary either to arrange the arms in difi'erent planes, as above explained, or to materially widen the opening or slit to enable the operator to insert the band, thereby diminishing the bearing-surface, and, in both cases, impairing the strength and durability of the fastening. I am also aware that oblique slits or openings have been employed, but in this case without the incline or arrow-head slot, thereby permitting the band to be often left through inadvertence resting upon a single arm of the tie, causing its frequent destruction. By my construction these difliculties are believed to be fully avoided, as explained.

Having now described my invention, what I claim'as new, and desire to secure by Letand arranged substantially as described, and

ters Patent, as an improvement in the arrowfor the purpose set forth.

head tie, is-- H. T. MINOR, JR.

The tie-plate A provided with a central opening, B, having its end or ends formed by Witnesses:

the inclines b b, in connection with the ob- T. W. COVERT,

lique slot or entering-cleft 0, all constructed H. T. BOTTS. 

